1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water producing apparatus for producing liquid water from moisture in air.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A water producing apparatus for producing a desalted water from sea water has been well-known as an apparatus for converting sea water into a desalted water. A water treating apparatus for treating a waste water such as a drainage a high degree to obtain water having high clarity has been proposed. This is one of the water producing apparatus classified in the apparatus for converting sea water into a desalted water. These apparatuses require a solution containing liquid water as a main component for producing water. Thus, these water producing apparatus could not be used to produce water in a place where no liquid water is found such as desert since the liquid water is used as the source.
It has been required to provide a water producing apparatus for producing water even in a place where no liquid water is found. Such novel water producing apparatus has been developed.
The novel water producing apparatus is an apparatus for producing water from moisture in the air and is a novel water producing apparatus which can produce water in any place as far as the air is present. Of course, it is impossible to produce water if no moisture is present in the air. According to the static data for weather and the results of inventor's studies, even in the air in a large desert at the central part of Arabian land, 3 to 4 g. of water is included in 1 m.sup.3 of the air, and accordingly, water can be produced. Thus, water can be obtained in a sterile land to live and to work and water can be used for irrigation to culture plants. The water producing apparatus contributes to expand living zones for human-beings and is quite important.
The principle of the water producing apparatus is to produce water by absorbing moisture in the air in an adsorbent as the first step and then, desorbing water adsorbed as steam by heating the water-adsorbed adsorbent and condensing the steam in a condenser as the second step. The adsorbent is dehydrated to recover the adsorbing function whereby the adsorbent can be repeatedly used for adsorbing moisture in air. Thus, liquid water can be repeatedly obtained from air.
FIG. 1 is a front view of the conventional apparatus for producing liquid water in the principle, which has not any opening and closing means such as a valve nor a pipe system.
FIG. 2 is a left side view thereof; FIG. 3 is a right side view thereof and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV--IV of FIG. 1.
In the Figures, the reference numeral (1) designates a column for holding a solid adsorbent for adsorbing moisture which has a cylindrical body having a circular sectional view; (2) designates a rotary shaft for the adsorbent column (1); (3) designates partitions placed around the rotary shaft (2) with equal circumferential spacing of 45 degree for partitioning the column (1) into 8 parts of small chambers (1a); (4) designates a solid adsorbent packed in each of the small chambers (1a) of the adsorbent column (1); (5) and (6) respectively represent first and second cylindrical bodies having the sectional view of the adsorbent column (1) which are placed at both ends of the adsorbent column (1) in coaxial state; (7) designates first partitions for dividing the inner part of the first cylindrical body (5), placed on the inner wall of the first cylindrical body (5) at both the end surfaces; (8) designates a second partition for dividing the inner part of the second cylindrical body (6), placed on the inner wall of the second cylindrical body (6) to be along the plane of the first partition (7); (9) designates a first bearing for rotatably supporting one end of the rotary shaft (2) for the adsorbent column (1) which is placed at the end of the first partition (7) in the adsorbent column (1); (10) designates a second bearing for rotatably supporting the other end of the rotary shaft (2) for the adsorbent column (1) which is placed at the end of the second partition (8) in the adsorbent column (1); (11) designates a belt for rotating the adsorbent column (1); (12) designates a pulley for driving the belt (11); (13) designates a motor for rotating the pulley (12); (14) designates a first closing plate for closing an opening of the lower section partitioned by the first partition (7) at the reverse side to the adsorbent column (1); (15) designates a second closing plate for closing an opening of the lower section partitioned by the second partition (8) of the second cylindrical body (6) at the reverse side to the adsorbent column (1); (16) designates a blower for adsorption which is placed at the opening of the first cylindrical body (5) at the reverse side of the adsorbent column (1) and which feeds the ambient air for adsorbing moisture by sucking it through the upper section partitioned by the first partition (7) into the adsorbent column (1); (17) designates a fitting plate for mounting the blower (16); (18) designates a duct for connecting to the lower section partitioned by the first partition (7) in the first cylindrical body (5) and the lower section partitioned by the second partition (8) in the second cylindrical body (6); (19) designates a blower for recycling the gas for desorption through the recycling passage consisting of the lower section of the first cylindrical body (5), the adsorbent column (1), the lower section of the second cylindrical body (6) and the duct (18) and the blower is placed in the duct (18); (20) designates a heater placed in the duct (18); (21) designates an AC power source for heating the heater (20); (22) designates a condenser equipped to connect a part of the duct (18); (23) designates the pre-adsorbing section (except the lower section) of the first cylindrical body (5) for passing the air for adsorption sucked by the blower (16) into the adsorbent column (1); (24) designates the post-adsorbing section as the upper section adjacent to the lower section in the second cylindrical body, for passing the air behind the adsorbent column (1); (25) designates a pre-desorbing section as the lower section of the first cylindrical body (5) for passing the gas for desorption recycled by the blower (19) to the adsorbent column (1); and (26) designates a post-desorbing section as the lower section of the second cylindrical body (6) for passing the gas for desorption through the adsorbent column (1).
The operation of the conventional water producing apparatus will be illustrated.
The operation will be discussed for the feature that the partition (3) of the adsorbent column (1) is stopped to be in the same plane as those of the first and second partitions (7), (8) and the adsorbent (4) in the column (1) is in dry condition without adsorbing the moisture. (The desorbed condition.)
The blower for adsorption (16) is driven to suck the air for adsorption into the pre-adsorbing section (23) and to feed it into the half of the adsorbent column (1) connected to the pre-adsorbing section so as to contact with the adsorbent (4) packed in this part, and is passed through the post-adsorbing section (24) to be discharged. To begin adsorbing the moisture into the adsorbent (4) packed in the upper half part of the adsorbent column (1), the column (1) is turned a half rotation by driving with the motor (13) and the blower for recycling (19) is driven and the heater (20) is actuated, whereby the dry adsorbent (4) in the column (1) connecting to the pre-desorbing section (25) and the post-desorbing section (26) is changed to connect to the pre-adsorbing section (23) and the post-adsorbing section (24), and to contact with the air for adsorption fed by the blower for adsorption (16) and the adsorbing step is started. On the other hand, the adsorbent (4) adsorbing water in the adsorbent column (1) which is connected to the pre-adsorbing section (23) and the post-adsorbing section (24) is changed to connect to the pre-desorbing section (25) and the post-desorbing section (26). The air remained in the recycling passage consisting of the pre-desorbing section (25), the adsorbent column (1) connected to the pre-desorbing section (25), the post-desorbing section (26) and the duct (18) is recycled by the blower for recycling (19) and is heated to a desired temperature by the heater (20). The desorbing step is started. In the desorbing step, the adsorbent (4) adsorbing water is heated by the air heated to the desired temperature by the heater (20), whereby water is desorbed to form steam. When a water storage tank (not shown) is an open type, a part of the air remained in the recycling passage is fed through the condenser (22) connected to the duct (18) and the water storage tank out of the system because of the volumetric expansion caused by the rising of the temperature of the air in the recycling passage after the initiation of the desorbing step. When the generation of steam is started, the remaining air is gradually substituted with steam whereby partial pressures of steam in the pre-desorbing section (25), the post-desorbing section (26) and the duct (18) are gradually increased to reach to 1 atm. pressure. The steam generated is passed through the same passage to reach the condenser (22). When the condenser (22) is cooled so as to be lower than 100.degree. C., 100% of the steam is condensed into water and water is stored in the water storage tank. After a predetermined time, the adsorbent column (1) is turned a half rotation and the above-mentioned adsorbing step and desorbing step can be continuously performed.
In accordance with the conventional water producing apparatus, any opening and closing means such as a valve and a pipe system need not be used. This is an excellent system in view of the energy saving and operability. There is, however, a certain problem in view of a selection of the optimum condition for the operation to produce water in high efficiency depending upon the weather condition such as the humidity and temperature in the ambient air.
For example, in Arabia, in summer, it is relatively high temperature (35.degree. to 50.degree. C.) and low humidity (3 to 6 g. of a water content per 1 kg. of air) in the inner land such as Riyadh and it is relatively low temperature (25.degree. to 45.degree. C.) and relatively high humidity (11 to 15 g. of a water content per 1 kg. of air) near sea such as Dhahran. Even though they are the lands of water shortage, the weather conditions are remarkably different.
In order to produce water from the ambient air in high efficiency, it is necessary to prolong the adsorbing period over the desorbing period in the land at relatively high temperature and low humidity. It is, however, difficult to vary the ratio of the adsorbing period to the desorbing period depending upon weather conditions in the conventional water producing apparatus.